ST 213 Sacramental Theology: An Introduction

Module Level

Time Allowance

Assessment

Module Aims

This course aims to introduce students to the theological understanding of sacraments. It will situate sacraments in their Christological and Ecclesial contexts and trace their historical development.

The sacraments of initiation will be treated in detail.

Learning Outcomes

— At the end of the course, the student will: • Understand the sacramental nature of the Church and its source in Christ the Sacrament of God • Appreciate the gradual development of sacraments and, at the same time, realize that the sacraments are rooted in Christ • Realize the anthropological underpinning of sacraments • Distinguish between the scholastic terms ‘principal’ and ‘instrumental’ causality • Be aware of the usefulness of the term ‘symbol’ and, at the same time, be alert to its pitfalls • Have an in-depth understanding of the sacraments of initiation • Be able to distinguish the theological differences of Baptism and Confirmation based on significant passages in the Acts of the Apostles as well as the writings of the Fathers. • Understand the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Christian life • Appreciate the Ecumenical issues concerning sacraments

— Indicative Syllabus: • Christ as sacrament of God; the Church as sacrament of Christ • History of the sacraments from Scripture, through the patristic and medieval period, to contemporary issues in sacramentality • Institution of the sacraments by Christ • The relationship between nature and grace and its significance for sacramental theology • The richness of the Scholastic theology of sacraments and the subsequent encrustation of Neo-Scholasticism • The theology of symbol as understood by Rahner, Chauvet and others • Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist • Implications for Ecumenism